Making Your Own Brown Sugar

Tips on making your own brown sugar at home. Post your own techniques here.

Making your own brown sugar is easy and cheaper than buying it at the supermarket; it tastes great on cooked oatmeal in the morning or used in any recipe calling for brown sugar.

To 1 cup granulated sugar, add 2 Tablespoons molasses. Stir together until evenly mixed with a fork. After trying it once, vary it by using 1 Tablespoon molasses, using the dark molasses or the light molasses. We prefer 1 cup sugar to 1 Tablespoon light molasses, but I have made all the other variations. I make a double batch every time.

By Betty

I have made my own brown sugar for years. You use white sugar and add molasses and mix well. I was always running to the store for brown sugar until I discovered this hint. You can make a little or a lot. You can make light or dark depending on the amount of molasses you add.

By Dameemag from Rothbury, Michigan

Make your own light brown sugar at about half the cost per pound of store-bought. Add 2 Tbsp. of dark molasses to 1 cup of white sugar and mix thoroughly. (I use blackstrap molasses, and 1 Tbsp. per cup makes a nice dark brown sugar.)

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By luv2cook (Guest Post)03/06/2008

Betty, I can't thank you enough for this handy tip! I live in Moscow, Russia and brown sugar is so new here, that it's very difficult to find. We usually bring some over with us from our State-side trips, but run out quickly! I am a teacher at an international school here and I love to make the kids cookies. My students thank you!

Wish I had made a note of this when I read it a few weeks ago. I discovered I was out of brown sugar right in the middle of baking - of course. I followed the recipe on the jar of molasses which was one cup of sugar to one HALF cup of Molasses - way too much. I now have a batch of very gooey cookies. I will know better next time

I have been making my own "brown sugar" for awhile, with 1 cup sugar to 2 Tbls. molasses. I use an airtight canister to store up to 5 cups at a time. It stores good for me, but where I live is pretty dry, especially in the summer. I go through it fast, so it is much more convenient to just make some up when it gets low!

BTW, for S&A's post: it helps to mix it before hand, because of the consistency, and if water comes into contact, it will "clog" up and make it hard to mix. But it shouldn't hurt to try if it doesn't affect the outcome, like cookies.

I've also made my own brown sugar for many years now, and not only brown sugar but you can make your own powdered sugar by adding 2 cups of granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 2 minutes and there you have powdered sugar.

Marge from NY

By bill (Guest Post)03/20/2006

I took one cup of regular sugar and two cups of Splenda, then blended it with 2 tbs of black strap molasses. It came out great and should be a lot lower in calories. Next time I will go down to 1 of molasses as I think it still will work.

Those snazzy glass jars that nuts come in at Christmas time with the airtight glass tops are perfect for storing sugar, flour, etc. If they're from the same brand (or nut catalogue), they have the same matching pattern.

That's what I store brown sugar in--never the box. When someone wants to know what I want as a gift, thats what I tell them--X brand nuts. It only took one year to get enough jars.

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Rothbury, Michigan! Oh my gosh. Rothbury Tavern. I grew up in the Metropolis of New Era, Mi, just up US-31. I turned 18 and moved. I still get shivers when I think of living i Michigan.

By thanksgiving 2008 (Guest Post)11/27/2008

Thank you this is great won't need to buy boxed product now that I know this.

By ac (Guest Post)11/15/2008

I made it and it was good.

By Razzie (Guest Post)08/15/2008

Fabulous tip! You just saved my banana nut muffins. Thanks a bunch.

By sandy (Guest Post)12/06/2007

Thanks much all of you! I am in Switzerland where there is no brown sugar, just some strange kind i have not used, just heard it was pretty ick...now is there molasses- I think so! Now, how about how to make oat bran cereal for the same muffins that need brown sugar?! I am on my last legs with the brown sugar and oat bran (and three more months across the Pond), so any advice -thanks! Just found this site (searching for the bs) and like it much too!

By elizabeth (Guest Post)09/27/2007

I live in chile south america and have never seen molasses here but like the idea of making my own is there a substitute for molasses that I can use.

I like to make my own dark brown sugar (I prefer dark to light as dark brown sugar gives a deeper, richer flavor) with that good ol' Southern staple/treat--sorghum! dee-licious. :-)gigglemagoo in Augusta, GA

By kris (Guest Post)03/11/2007

I am living all the way in Turkey, from America, and am so excited to finally make some brown sugar so I can make some good chocolate chip cookies!

The store brand brown sugar is almost always granulated sugar mixed with molasses. . So, in short, you can use your home made variety of sugar successfully in pretty much any recipe that calls for brown sugar. For all practical purposes, it is the same thing. Go to http://www.chsugar.com for interesting information on how brown sugar is made.

By Lucy (Guest Post)01/30/2007

Can you make this with Karo syrup instead of molasses? Really need to know, thank you!!

By mommy of 4 babies (Guest Post)09/17/2006

wow you guys are way cool. I am all the way in Cairo, Egypt... (I am from America here studing) but I cannot ever find brown sugar and I need it for those homemade cookies that I miss from Home and so on. So when I saw this I was so happy. My kids will be so thankful. Thanks for all your help.